7 December 2011
Kurt,
This may be late, but here goes. I had a 1992 Connie that I owned over six years. Bought used with almost 22K, sold it with almost 172K. Great machine and it was quite good. Would love to have a later-model post-93 red or black C10 Connie.
After a couple of interim bikes following the C10, I bought a 2003 BMW R1150RT w/ 19,600 miles in November 2005. Over six years now, she has almost 111,000 miles and running strong. I did have the dreaded HES (ignition sensor pickup) failure this past April at 96K, which stranded me, but that's over with.
The bike is very DIY shadetree-mechanic friendly except the ABS servicing, which I don't have the expertise to perform. The 6K and 12K services I combine to do every 20K and that works fine - the screw-and-locknut valve clearances have stabilized. Single-sided swingarm making wheel removal a piece of cake. Front wheel removal also very easy. The brake pads all three calipers are ridiculously easy to change, unlike the real pain in the neck of my 1992 Connie.
No water pump, no coolant, two spark plugs. A simple machine in most respects. How does this extrapolate to the R1200RT? Mechanically, about the same. The R1200RT is much uglier than the R1150RT, but still a great machine. New bikes have heated everything, BlueTooth, cruise control, tailored displays, etc. Nice.
The RT has a much bigger fuel tank and much better gas mileage. MUCH better. While touring, figure 270-320 miles per tank, easy.
Drawbacks - the fuel filter and fuel pump are inside the fuel tank and not trivial to replace. The alternator belt (yes, a belt like your car) is replaced every 36K (new bulletin now sez every 25K, which is overkill).
The 2010 and newer Oilhead / Hexhead machines have the new "semispherical" shims for valve adjustment. Very, very mechanic friendly for DIY, but the drawback is shim replacement - have to go to the dealer and swapout / buy new shims (gotta do the math right - "measure twice, cut once") or buy a pricey shim kit. I like the screw-and-locknut setup much better.
I feel the same emotions about the R1200RT vs the C14 Connie. If you are gonna do your own mainteance and very handy and DIY capable, the new and late model R1200RTs are better to work on, with some of the Kraut bike quirks not seen in the Japanese bike wold. If you are mechanically a klutz and will do all dealer servicing, the C14 is quite attractive
Cheers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone,
Mike Shelton
Stafford, VA
2003 R1150RT